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Remember when it was possible to replace a piece of software solely on the strengths of its features and functions? Can’t do that anymore since, in most cases, this one is connected to that one, and everything needs to be connected to you.

In one recent engagement, our activity began with a seemingly simple exploration of new CRM alternatives. But it quickly expanded to encompass a document repository, an email system, and the very foundation of human behavior – and it was mobility that was the wild card that changed everything.

Turns out, users’ need to keep their mobile devices in sync with their enterprise apps drove a lot of the decision-making. Their feeling was that any solution that couldn’t readily communicate with their iPhones and cloud-based applications just wasn’t worth having, no matter how compelling the individual capabilities.

It would be unfair to say that this reaction was a total surprise to us, but the forcefulness with which it was expressed was a bit startling. It was almost as if people were worried their freedoms were going to be curtailed, or their identities somehow subsumed.

Which leads me to wonder: is the developing mindset now one of “I am what I know”?

I podcasted last fall on the subject of “Me-Mail Management,” in which I postulated that employees think of their emails as intensely personal because “these messages were sent to ME” and “they’re none of the company’s business.” Today, this essential attitude seems to be moving beyond email and into content, to the point where being without one’s information is akin to being stripped of one’s worth.

Perhaps it’s no wonder, then, that we are being brought in to consult on the ‘people side’ of technology change more often than ever before  …